Psalm and Praise, Day 30 Wailing and Dancing. Read Psalm chapter 30. I had a conversation this week with a friend who was telling me about someone they spoke with this week. This person believed that if you were a believer in Christ that you be in a good mood and happy all the time. You should always be smiling; you should never be crying or upset or angry. If you were, it was a demonstration of lack of faith. That belief system is contrary to what this verse says. We are not the ones who bring happiness and joy into our lives. We cannot think it up and we…

Psalm and Praise, Day 27 He keeps me safe. Read Psalm chapter 27. Of all the things that I feel weighed down by every day, I can rest and relax in this. God is my protector. I can know that God is the one that sees my weak points and knows every chink in my armor. He recognizes just how vulnerable I am, and he chooses to protect me. Am I resting in his peotection today? How can I choose to rest in him more completely today?

Psalm and Praise, Day 26 Are we willing to have God test us? Read Psalm chapter 26. As we read through this chapter, we see David reminding God that he has been his advocate and warrior, and now God should defend him. How many of us would be bold enough to tell God that he has the right to test us and to judge us? How many of us would want God to review the contents and details of our life? The fact remains that God knows all of those details already. We need to surrender ourselves to him and humble ourselves and allow God to show us the parts…

Psalm and Praise, Day 25 Teachable. Read Psalm chapter 25. As David is sharing to the Lord, he prays to be teachable. I have known many people throughout my lifetime who have been profoundly smart and amazing people, but the very best of those are the ones who realize they don’t know it all yet. They continue to be teachable and trainable. They desperately desire to know and understand how they could do something better or more efficiently. Are we that kind of person? Do we recognize that we have shortcomings that only God can fill and are we coming to him with a desperate desire to be taught? Are…

Psalm and Praise, Day 24 He is glory. Read Psalm chapter 24. This is one of my favorite psalm. As I read through, I’m always struck by the power and majesty of the God of the universe. He is worthy of so much honor and glory. He has all of the power and might. As the chapter ends it reminds us that he is the Lord of glory. We cannot truly think about the word glory and not think about our Lord and savior. We cannot understand glory outside of understanding who God is. Are we worshipping and celebrating God for his glory today?

Psalm and Praise, Day 23 The darkest valley. Read Psalm 23. Through the years I have read this chapter often. I’ve seen it on pictures or quoted by others. Every time I read it, I am struck by a different part of the chapter. Today, what strikes me is the darkest valley. I have been going through a valley. What matters most to me is not that I won’t be afraid, but that God says he will be with me. No matter what valley God has for me to walk through, he will be with me. i am so thankful that God is with me, even through the darkest valley.

Psalm and Praise, Day 22 Alone. Read Psalm chapter 22. The first verse of this psalm has the distinction of having been quoted by Jesus the cross. As he hung there and felt the separation that our sin created, he cried out to God about being alone. There are so many times that we feel alone. We need the presence of the Lord and when we don’t feel it, that separation can seem overwhelming. However, our feelings are not truth. Even though David felt alone as he shared this psalm, the truth is that he was never alone. As we come to the end of the psalm, we see all…

Psalm and Praise, Day 21 What do we praise God for? Read Psalm chapter 21. Often we know and understand that we should praise God. We see a number of verses throughout scripture that indicates the need that we have to praise God. But what do we praise him for? What are the qualities and characteristics about Christ that are praiseworthy? As we look into scripture, we see so many opportunities to offer our praise and adoration of the God of the universe. Here, we see that God is to be praised for his strength. As we think about the quality of strength, what does that mean? God is physically…